Cyberbullying & Digital Drama

What is Cyberbullying?

According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, cyberbullying is formally defined as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices” (from Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying). We developed this definition because it is simple, concise, and reasonably comprehensive and it captures the most important elements. These elements include the following:

• Willful: The behavior has to be deliberate, not accidental.

• Repeated: Bullying reflects a pattern of behavior, not just one isolated incident.

• Harm: The target must perceive that harm was inflicted.

• Computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices: This, of course, is what differentiates cyberbullying from traditional bullying

What is Digital Drama?

Common Sense Media defines digital drama as:

"...the everyday tiffs and disputes that occur between friends or acquaintances online or via text. Note: Unlike cyberbullying, which involves repeated digital harassment toward someone, drama is broader and more nuanced. That being said, kids and teens sometimes use the term drama to distance themselves from emotionally difficult behavior. Digital drama can still feel very real to students, lead to hurt feelings, and even damage friendships. In some cases, digital drama can escalate into an offline fight – either verbal or physical." (From: Common Sense Media Cyberbullying & Digital Drama)

Read the New York Times article Instagram Is Trying to Curb Bullying. First, It Needs to Define Bullying. by Kevin Roose. In an excerpt from this article the author says that:

Instagram is particularly vulnerable because of its young user base. About 70 percent of American teenagers use the service, according to the Pew Research Center. And 42 percent of cyberbullying victims ages 12 to 20 reported being bullied on Instagram, according to a 2017 survey by the British anti-bullying organization Ditch the Label....

The author goes on to say that, "Instagram came up with a name for this category of bullying — “betrayals” — and started training an algorithm to detect it...“One of the things we learned early on is that how we were defining bullying in our Community Guidelines doesn’t necessarily capture all the ways people feel like they’re being bullied,” said Karina Newton, Instagram’s global head of public policy."

Why is it important to teach about Cyberbullying & Digital Drama?

Common Sense Media suggests that it is important to teach about cyberbullying and digital drama because you can help your students:

• consider ways to create positive online communities rooted in trust and respect.

• learn to identify, respond to, and limit the negative impact of cyberbullying and other unethical or harmful online behaviors.

• recognize their own role in escalating or de-escalating online cruelty as upstanders, rather than bystanders.

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